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Tim’s Act
2/5/2024, 11:45 AM
Summary of Bill HR 3108
Tim's Act seeks to provide funding for mental health resources and support services in schools across the country. This includes funding for mental health professionals, training for teachers and staff on how to identify and support students with mental health needs, and resources for students to access mental health services.
The bill also aims to increase awareness and reduce stigma surrounding mental health issues in schools. It calls for the implementation of mental health education programs for students, as well as initiatives to promote mental wellness and resilience. Additionally, Tim's Act includes provisions for the establishment of a national mental health task force, which will be responsible for developing and implementing strategies to improve mental health support in schools. Overall, Tim's Act is a comprehensive piece of legislation that aims to address the mental health needs of students in schools and promote a culture of mental wellness and support.
Congressional Summary of HR 3108
Tim Hart Wildland Firefighter Classification and Pay Parity Act or Tim's Act
This bill increases compensation for federal wildland firefighters (including qualifying prevailing rate employees) and establishes related requirements.
The bill increases the minimum rate of basic pay for firefighters at General Schedule (GS) levels 1 through 5 to at least the rate of pay for step 3 of GS-6. (A wildland firefighter engages in wildfire management activities, which include aviation, dispatch, and fuels management.)
The bill also increases the minimum rate of basic pay for wildland firefighters at GS-6 through 15 by specified percentages, with comparable increases to prevailing rate employees who are wildland firefighters.
Next, the bill requires wildland firefighters (including prevailing rate employees) to be paid for sleep and rest periods when deployed to the field on continuous duty status to respond to a qualifying incident at 50% of their hourly rate of basic pay. The bill also mandates a nine-hour sleep and rest period for every 24-hour duty period.
The bill also establishes paid leave, a right to buy back service time for retirement credit purposes, and other benefits for wildland firefighters.
The bill directs the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs within the Department of Labor to ensure that psychological stress-related injuries and illnesses correlated to fire protection work are compensated and to expedite related claims.
Federally-employed firefighters who are not wildland firefighters must also receive pay and benefit increases comparable to the increases provided to wildland firefighters under this bill.
